


Percy Jackson Highschool AU

by imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Depression, Drug Use, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Recreational Drug Use, Sad with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, just for fun, percabeth, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24706528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry/pseuds/imcrapatthiswritingshitbutitry
Summary: High school AU with all the Percy Jackson characters and all the canon ships. Anyone who's canonly dead will die at some point, except Jason and maybe Zoe.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 34
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just writing this for fun, which is what fanfiction is all about, right? Probably gonna delete at some point.
> 
> It's set in a small school, so everyone kinda knows everyone. The youngest there is 14, oldest is 18. 
> 
> Also, I'm from Britain. I hardly know what it's like in America and New York - I've never been. But I've been to Venice and other places in Italy and Europe so I know what it's like in many of them that I'll mention. 
> 
> Just for context, if anyone does end up reading this, at the start: 
> 
> Nico is in the same year as Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Calypso and Frank. 
> 
> Hazel and Rachel are in the year below them.
> 
> And Bianca is in the same year as Thalia, Zoe, Reyna and Luke.

New York was different from Venice. Yeah, they were both cities, but that's about as far as the similarities went. New York was all skyscrapers and fast food chains. Venice was rivers and beautiful, historical churches. Everyone seemed younger here too. Teenagers crowded every street corner, smoking or drinking. In Venice, it wasn't uncommon to find older couples and families going to church together, rowing past in boats on their way to school and work. Everything had seemed to much nicer, calmer there. 

As the taxi drove them through the city, Nico stared out the car window, watching as everything whizzed past in a blur. His heart was aching. He felt like he wanted to cry but couldn't. For some reason, it was like he couldn't feel anything. 

He'd just left his childhood home for the first time and would probably never go back. Surely, any normal person would feel sad, or lonely, or scared. Maybe that's how Nico did feel. But it was hard to tell, if he was being honest. He was feeling so many things at once, yet, at the same time, nothing at all. 

His sister, Bianca, had been sobbing silently all morning, texting all her friends from Venice. She was clearly missing them, and Nico couldn't help wishing he had friends to miss like that. Sure, Bianca's friends had always let him join in and hang out with them, but he'd never had proper friends like she had. 

" _Now then, you two_ ,"said Maria to them both in Italian. " _We're almost there. We're staying in a flat just a few blocks away from your new school, so you'll be able to walk_." 

Nico stared stubbornly out the window. The roads were all four or five lanes wide - much bigger than he'd ever seen in Italy - and there were people bustling everywhere. Every block looked the same: with a McDonald's or KFC on every corner and trees lining the streets in evenly spaced rows. How were they ever going to find their way around? If Nico hadn't been scared before, he definitely was now. This whole place was incredibly daunting and... frankly... terrifying. 

" _It's like Rome in tourist season_ ," said Bianca. She sounded as anxious as Nico felt. 

Her phone pinged again. She opened it instantly and Nico saw the name that had popped up, a long paragraph written underneath. 

" _That must be expensive, Bi_ ," said their mother. 

Bianca just sighed and rolled her eyes slightly. " _Papa will pay for it_." 

" _Bambini..._ " said Maria hesitantly. " _You know that your father won't always be able to pay for everything... He clearly doesn't care enough to come and see you_ ," she added a little bitterly. 

Her voice was quiet at the end and Nico was sure they weren't meant to hear that so neither him or Bianca said anything. Actually, maybe Bianca was just too busy replying to her friend. 

Nico agreed with his mama, though. He'd never met his father and Bianca only had nine months before Nico was born. Every month, he sent cash for their schooling and phone bills. He'd even paid for them to move to America - bought their new flat and their plane tickets, but never anything more. Maria always said it was because he loved them both but was just too busy with work. Nico knew she was just trying to make them feel better. He didn't want to meet him if he really cared that little about his kids anyway. 

The taxi pulled into a car park behind a tall, slightly run-down block of flats. The walls around the doors and lower windows were covered in graffiti. Nico didn't understand most of the words, which his mother said was probably not for the best. His eyes scanned the rest of the building, glaring in distaste, but he said nothing else about it. What good would it do to complain? They were here now; there was no going back. 

Nico didn't want to get out the car. He wanted, more than anything, to stay in the car and just be driven all the way back to Venice. He already hated it here: in a new country and new city, surrounded by thousands of new people, speaking a language he barely understood. 

Maria got out the car, closing the door loudly behind her before opening Bianca's car door. Nico opened his own, getting out to help the others with the suitcases. None of them had brought very much - selling everything they could before leaving Italy. Nico and Bianca had one bag each and their mother's amount was even smaller. 

She led them through the main entrance of the block and to the flight of stairs. Their flat was on the first floor so it was only one flight of stairs up. The three of them hauled their suitcases up the stairs - that stank of piss, in Nico's opinion - then round a corner to be stood in front of a door with a silver number '12' on it.

Maria took out a key from her back pocket to open the door, leading them into the flat. There was a living room merged with the kitchen with a TV and sofa. The back of the sofa was to the door. The right wall was bare. 

The kitchen had surfaces around the two walls with windows and on the left, when you stood with your back to the TV and sofa, there were two doors. Bianca opened the door furthest from the living room area; it led through to a bedroom. The other door led to a slightly smaller, more square-shaped bedroom. In both, the beds were in the far corners. 

" _There's a bathroom between the two bedrooms, see?_ " said Maria. " _What do you think, bambini?_ " 

" _It's small_ ," Nico mumbled. Maria didn't hear and Bianca shot him a look, essentially telling him to shut up. 

" _I like it, mama_ ," she said. " _It's cosy_." 

Maria smiled. " _Well, you two can have this room. I'll have the smaller one. How about we order takeaway? I don't want to cook today_." 

She took out her mobile phone, scrolling for a few minutes while Nico and Bianca started unpacking their suitcases. There was only one bed in the bedroom and a wardrobe behind the back of the door, opposite the window. That was pretty much it. 

"You have the bed," said Bianca quietly in English. Nico knew she had switched language to make it harder for Maria to hear and understand her. He tried to do the same when he replied. 

"We can take it in turns," he said. "I don't mind." 

Bianca looked grateful for that. They continued unpacking in silence. They split the coat hangers out between them and took half of the wardrobe each. 

Maria came in a minute or two later, talking in Italian again, she said, " _Bianca, mio caro, you make the call - your English is better than mine_." 

Nico's sister took the phone and left the bedroom, leaving Nico with his mother. He could hear Bianca's voice as she spoke to the takeaway worker. 

" _Are you okay, Nico?_ " said Maria, sitting on the bed and motioning for Nico to join her. " _I know it's hard, cucciolo, but everything will be okay. This is our new home. We'll be okay_." 

Nico just nodded. He didn't know what to say to that. He hated the idea of his mother getting upset because of him. It was hard on her too. She'd lived in Italy her whole life as well; this must be difficult for her too. 

He just forced a smile and agreed to go downstairs with Bianca to collect their meal when it arrived. Maria gave them enough money, telling them it would be a good chance to practise their English - that didn't make Nico less nervous, though. 

The guy who delivered the takeaway had a strong American accent and spoke very quickly. Bianca and Nico could barely understand a word as he talked at them. His sister glanced at him and she must have been able to tell he was getting overwhelmed. 

"Um... would you mind saying that again, please, sir?" she said, clearly nervous. 

This was there first experience with an American person, other than the taxi driver but Maria had dealt with that _and_ he'd hardly said a word. Neither Nico or Bianca had been great at English at school - both having been diagnosed and struggling with dyslexia, especially Nico. 

"We are Italian... it is hard to understand properly," Bianca continued. She looked back at Nico, a clear question in her eyes, asking if she'd said that right. He nodded reassuringly. 

The guy seemed to understand instantly, which was a huge relief to both Bianca and Nico. He smiled and started speaking slower and ever-so-slightly louder, pronouncing his words properly without skipping the 't's or 'h's. 

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I said, that will be twenty dollars, please." 

They handed the money over, hoping desperately that their mother had given them enough. None of them completely understood the system here yet and Nico was sure he'd die of embarrassment if they got this wrong as well. 

"Thank you," the guy said - that meant it was the right amount, right? "If you have any problems please let us know. Enjoy your meal." 

"Grazie - thank you," mumbled Bianca, a blush spreading on her cheeks at her slip up. 

The takeaway guy didn't seem at all bothered. If anything, his smile looked even more cheerful. How was it possible to be _that_ happy? 

"You have a beautiful Italian accent, by the way," he said. "Have a nice rest of your day!" 

Bianca closed the door, holding the two pizza boxes. She looked as overwhelmed as Nico felt. He took the apartment key from her and she followed him up the flight of stairs. He didn't fancy risking the lift. If the stairs stank of piss and looked like this, he didn't even want to think about the lifts. 

When they got back to the flat, Maria had laid the coffee table that sat in front of the sofa like it was a dining table. Nico appreciated the effort. There were three places laid, obviously, all opposite the TV. 

While their mama got them all drinks, Bianca and Nico set out the pizza on the tables, splitting them both between the three of them. Clearly Maria had ordered this to try and make them feel more at home in this new country. Nico appreciated the effort. 

The pizza looked very different to what they were used to. Sure, it looked kind of like pizza, but it was so perfectly round. It was all the same level. In Italy, pizza usually _looked_ a lot more obviously homemade. Although they didn't look as neat and 'perfect' as these, Nico had always loved their authentic look. 

He didn't voice any of these thoughts, not wanting to upset his mother any further. He ate over half the pizza - if you could call it that - on his plate. None of them said anything for several minutes. 

When they'd all finished, an uncomfortable silence still filling the room, Maria started clearing up. Bianca rushed to help her and after a couple of seconds, Nico did the same. He finished his drink - luckily they'd brought Italian coffee with them. Nico didn't have the courage to try the American stuff yet. He'd give it a few weeks before that. 

" _You two get to bed. You've had a long day_ ," said Maria in Italian. " _I love you both_." 

She held open her arms to give them both hugs and kisses, saying goodnight lovingly. Bianca hugged her first, then Nico. She held him tightly, stroking his hair slightly. He squeezed her back, fighting a sudden urge to cry as everything that had happened seemed to engulf him. 

Nico struggled to keep the tears back as he and Bianca changed into their pyjamas. Like agreed, he took the bed while his sister settled on the floor next to him after she'd turned the light off. They were silent, but Nico could hear her breathing and knew neither of them could sleep. 

It felt like hours later, but was probably just minutes, when Bianca's whispered voice said, " _Are you okay, Nico?_ "

He thought about just telling her he was fine, but that would have been a lie. He hated lying to his sister. 

" _No_ ," he said almost inaudibly. 

" _Me neither_ ," came the reply after another pause. 

Bianca got up from the floor and sat on the side of the single bed, moving the duvet around her slightly so it was still covering Nico. He shuffled to the side, making space, and grabbed her arm to pull her down next to him. 

Nico could feel the tears gathering in his eyes. He just missed his home. 

The two of them stayed there all night, sharing their warmth with each other. Nico drifted in and out of sleep, keeping his sister close to him all night. She was an anchor to his old home, someone familiar, grounding him. 

He missed home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Checking in with Percy and Annabeth.

"Mom, Tyson says hi," said Percy as he walked in the house, followed by three others. "I brought the others along."

The closest to him was a girl with rippling blonde hair flowing around her shoulders. She was tanned and average build with stormy grey eyes. She came up to just above Percy's eye line, slightly above average height. A bra strap was showing on her right shoulder as her orange T-shirt slipped down slightly, but she clearly didn't care, and an iPhone stuck out from her right back pocket of her denim shorts.

"Hello, Annabeth, dear," said Sally, Percy's mother, when he and the blonde-haired girl walked through into the kitchen.

They were closely followed by the other two: a girl and a guy. She had choppy, chocolate brown hair just above her shoulders, plaited loosely with colourful feathers and string. Like Annabeth, she wore navy-blue denim shorts and a grey tank top with a yellow button-down over it. Her eyes were like a Kaleidoscope - they looked a different colour each time. She was beautiful, but in a very unique way because of her simple, tomboyish style.

The guy was taller than her, with short, close-cropped blond hair, as light as Annabeth's, and bright blue eyes like the sky. He was a tad taller than Percy, despite being younger. His upper-arm muscles were visible through his dark purple T-shirt. He had broad shoulders compared to the rest of his body. He wore dark denim jeans and trainers.

"Jason, Piper, nice to see you both again," said Sally.

"Hi, Mrs Jackson," said all three of Percy's friends as he came forward to hug his mum after putting the pizza boxes on the kitchen surface.

"Go through to the living room, guys," she said, smiling warmly. "If you need me, I'll be in the office. Don't stay up too late. Oh, and there are some cookies in the cupboard."

"Thanks, mom!" said Percy, already opening the cupboard door to get out the box of blue, homemade cookies.

"I still don't get the thing with blue food," said Jason, an amused tone in his voice.

Percy just grinned confidently and said, "Someone once told us there was no such thing as blue food or drink; since then, we've always gone out of our way to prove them wrong... Plus, it's my favourite colour."

Jason smiled and rolled his eyes, but said nothing else.

"Pipes, grab some plates, would you?" said Percy.

She knew where they were already, as did Annabeth when fetching cutlery and napkins for them all. Percy led the three of them through to the living room, still carrying the box of cookies. Jason was carrying the pizza.

"Right, we can watch a film if you like, or just put music on or whatever."

"Such an excellent host, Seaweed Brain," laughed Annabeth.

"Don't insult my bro!" said Jason, mock offended.

"Thanks, bro," replied Percy, laughing too as Jason put an arm around his shoulders.

Piper and Annabeth were rolling their eyes but giggling along with the boys. Percy had started opening up the pizza boxes, with Jason still clinging onto him, and handing everyone a plate.

"Jason, piss off," he said exasperatedly, physically removing the other boy's arm.

Jason just laughed before grabbing a plate and slice of pizza and collapsing onto the sofa. Piper took a plate and slice too before sitting on his right. Annabeth and Percy sat on the other sofa. The others watched in half-amusement half-disgust as Percy reached forward for the box of cookies, eating them between bites of pizza.

"You're disgusting," said Annabeth, rolling her eyes at him.

Percy just rolled his eyes back. Through a mouthful of pizza crust he said, "So, 'cause none of you losers have answered my question... Jason, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Percy grinned slightly manically. "I dare you to try cookie and pizza together."

"I fucking hate you," said Jason, but he took the box of cookies and another slice of pizza anyway. He bit into the pizza, followed by half a cookie - "I'm not an animal, Jackson - " and chewed. Seconds later, a disgusted look came on his face. "Okay, you're officially disgusting."

Percy's grin didn't waver as they all watched Jason practically run to the kitchen for a glass of water. They couldn't hear whatever Sally and him were saying but Percy could guess. Probably something to do with him.

When he came back, carrying a half-full glass of water. He put the glass down before flopping back onto the sofa.

"Annabeth, truth or dare?"

She thought for a second. "For my own safety: truth."

"Er... When did you last have sex?" asked Jason, glancing ever-so-slightly in Percy's direction. The other boy pretended not to notice.

Annabeth pretended to look annoyed. "I'm still a virgin, you dick," she said jokingly.

Percy hoped his blush wasn't too obvious. Piper seemed to notice, though. And he knew that was the whole reason Jason had asked the question. He hadn't strictly told any of them, but he may have had a slight, tiny crush on Annabeth. She was just so... so gorgeous and confident and amazing all at the same time. He'd known her for years, but had no idea if she thought of him as anything but a friend.

Jason obviously knew about his crush and Piper seemed to as well. Over the summer holidays, Percy had noticed the two of them trying to leave him alone with Annabeth more and more. Yeah, he'd loved spending time with her - she was one of his best friends and had been since elementary school - but at times, it had been a tad awkward when he started realising how much he liked her.

"Okay," said Annabeth, either not noticing or ignoring the others, "Piper, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Um... I've always wanted to know, why are you a vegetarian?"

Piper just shrugged as she said, "Oh, my dad drove past this meat-processing plant in Chino when I was little. The smell... well, let's just say, it was enough to turn me veggie."

"You're being too nice," said Jason.

"Pipes is my friend; just wait til it's your turn," said Annabeth, a cruel but amused smile on her face.

Percy couldn't help thinking how hot she looked just then, in the golden light of the sun setting outside. Her tanned skin and bright blonde hair were practically glowing. He watched as she tied her hair up in a loose ponytail, several strands hanging out. Gods, she was beautiful.

Jason nudged him slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. Percy could feel his cheeks flushing further and, again, hoped Annabeth hadn't seen - it was already too late to hope the same for Piper. She was like some kind of relationship guru.

A couple of questions and dares later - where Annabeth had got her own back on Jason, several very strange tweets had been sent from all their phones and Percy was now hanging upside down from the sofa next to Jason with Piper now sitting next to Annabeth - Jason had turned to Annabeth.

"Truth or dare?" he said.

She thought for a second, then said, "Truth."

"Can I sit up yet?" grumbled Percy. "My head hurts."

"Stop complaining, nobody cares," laughed Jason.

"Yeah, you can sit up," said Piper.

Percy pulled on Jason's arm, ignoring the other boy's whining, until he was sitting up on the sofa again. Jason shoved him to the side, almost making him fall off. He turned back to Annabeth.

"Sorry, what did you say, truth or dare?" he said.

She rolled her eyes at the boys. "Truth."

Jason glanced over at Percy again, trying to be discreet, but failing.

"Out of us two guys, who would you most want to date?"

Percy might have just been optimistic, but he thought he could see a small, faint blush on Annabeth's cheeks. Was... could... no, he was just being too hopeful... surely, right? He was totally overthinking this.

"Well, I'm bi, so Piper," she said.

"I said out of Percy and me," insisted Jason.

Annabeth averted her gaze. Okay, now she was definitely blushing. He wished it was because she liked him but, knowing his luck, it was probably because she liked Jason or something.

Sure enough, a second later, still not meeting their eyes, she said, "You."

Percy felt a small twinge in his gut and tried not to show it.

"Just kidding. Percy, of course."

"Why?" said Jason.

Percy glared at the side of his head but said nothing.

"He's kind of hot - " Percy froze when she said that - "plus, he's my best friend and I know him the best out of you lot."

He tried not to blush too hard at that. He was stuck in a limbo, wanting to be both disappointed that she only called him her friend and pleased that she thought he was hot.

It was a couple of hours later, at about half past eleven when Percy's mum came into the room. She walked in to find all four teenagers laughing, Piper blindfolded, all the furniture moved to the sides to create a clearing and Annabeth sitting on Percy's lap.

Both looked uncomfortable at that, but Percy couldn't help feeling happy too. His crush was cuddled right up to him, for gods' sake. Of course if was a dare - from Jason, obviously - but she was still there.

"Right, you lot," said Sally, "I say it's time for bed."

There was a groan from Percy, but both Piper and Annabeth did seem pretty tired.

"You know you actually do need to get _some_ sleep before school," she continued. She was smiling and clearly wasn't too worried, though. "Also, I've set up the bed in the guest room for you, girls."

"Thanks, Mrs Jackson," said Piper.

Sally knew by now that none of them minded sharing beds with each other as long as the boys and girls were separated - for their own privacy, nothing else.

"I'm going to bed now. I have work early tomorrow, but you know where everything is if you need anything."

"Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you too."

Sally smiled before leaving to go upstairs, turning off most of the lights behind her as she went.

Percy was glad none of his friends made fun of him for being like that with his mum, especially as none of them had the best relationships with their families. Jason's parents were both dead - he lived with his uncle, but got along well with them - and Piper lived with her dad, who was a pretty famous actor so they didn't get much time together. And Annabeth's mum had to go away for work a lot. She usually stayed with Percy or Piper when this happened, meaning she'd grown very close to them both.

Plus, it wasn't his fault he had a great relationship with his mum. They'd been through some shit together - namely his abusive ex-step-dad - and it was great to finally see her happy. She'd got married again just last year to a much nicer man this time. Percy approved. He didn't care, to be honest, as long as his mum was happy again.

"We should probably head up," he said.

Annabeth nodded and moved off his lap, looking a tad embarrassed. Piper had removed her blindfold and the two of them started to move the furniture back as Percy and Jason cleared away the plates and pizza boxes.

The girls knew where everything was so Percy wasn't surprised when he got back and saw they'd both already gone upstairs to the guest bedroom. He could hear their quiet talking as him and Jason ascended the stairs to his room.

"Yo, bro, I'm so tired," said Jason, collapsing onto the bed as soon as they entered the room.

"Me too, but we gotta change," said Percy.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Jason, sitting up with a groan and pulling his T-shirt off over his head.

Percy did the same, rummaging around for a pyjama shirt in one of his drawers before unbuttoning his jeans and finding the matching trousers. Jason was also walking around in his boxers as he got out his pyjamas and changed. The two boys were evidently very comfortable with each other.

They flopped into the bed after Percy had turn the lights off and they'd made sure their phones were plugged in. All of a sudden, he didn't feel tired.

He voiced this to Jason, who agreed with a humming sound, shuffling to be lying on his back. Percy did the same, both above the covers.

"So, you and Annabeth, huh?" said Jason after a couple of minutes of silence.

Percy rolled his eyes then realised the other boy wouldn't be able to see. "Not yet," he said quietly.

"She likes you, though, dude. It's obvious."

"Not to me," mumbled Percy.

"She called you hot and sat on your lap this evening; how is that not obvious?"

Percy sighed. He could see Jason's point. He just wasn't sure why Annabeth would like him of all people. She was incredibly beautiful, at least in his opinion, and could probably easily get any guy she wanted.

Plus, she'd never seemed too bothered about the whole dating thing before. She tended to focus on her school work and dream of becoming an architect. It had been her ambition for as long as Percy could remember.

"Whatever."

Annabeth and Piper were lying in the guest bedroom. The room was dark and silent around them and they could hear the faint noises of the New York traffic outside and quiet, almost inaudible chattering of the two boys next door.

"You like him," said Piper.

Annabeth could practically hear the amused smile in her voice and knew the mischievous look that would be sparkling in her eyes.

"He's hot," she said in defence.

"Yeah, he is," Piper agreed, letting out a small laugh at the end. "But he's not really my type."

"No, that'd be blond, muscly guys like... I don't know... Jason?" said Annabeth, faking innocence when she felt Piper's glare.

"You can't deny it; he's hot."

Annabeth just hummed, not wanting to agree but not wanting to delve too much further into the topic. She didn't get why people always thought girls talked about boys and didn't like it when she fit that stereotype herself.

"Do you reckon Mrs Whitmore will have finally retired, then?" she said after a couple of moments of silence.

Piper sighed quietly. "Probably. I mean, how old do you think she is now? Like, eighty?"

"Something like that."

"She wasn't a shit teacher or anything, though."

"Hmm.. I just hope that whoever replaces her is good. I'd hate to have another Mr Stuart."

"Gods," agreed Piper. "I'd move school."

Annabeth just hummed again. She was getting more tired every second and she could tell Piper was too. Within just another minute or two of silence, Piper's breathing had slowed to a steadier pace. She was asleep.

The voices of the boys in the room next door had quieted as well. It must have been nearly one in the morning. Hmm, an early night for Percy and Jason.

Annabeth yawned as she stared up at the ceiling. Piper shuffled slightly beside her but settled a couple of seconds later. When she yawned again a minute or two later, she decided it was time to sleep. Especially, as Sally said, if they were meant to be at school in a few days. She curled up slightly on her side and closed her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bianca and Nico's first days at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry I've not updated in a while. Been basically questioning the entirety of human existence for a couple of weeks now, so.. that's fun! 
> 
> Also, I don't know much about school in either Italy or America, but I know people in Europe tend to know several languages (not really the UK, but other countries). Like, seriously, I was in Amsterdam in October and this one woman spoke English to us, then Dutch to a coworker before yelling at this guy in German and then talking to some other tourists in French. And here's me barely passing Spanish - the only language I'm expected to even try and learn. 
> 
> Also little shoutout to Alexo Propst for helping me out with the whole American schooling thing. Thanks.

Bianca woke up in Nico's bed for the fourth time in a row since they'd arrived in America. Her brother hadn't been sleeping well and, although she didn't want to admit it, neither had she.

Everything was so much louder here. The constant buzz of traffic was almost deafening, even with the flat's windows closed. She rolled over, accidentally nudging Nico, who was still sleeping soundly.

He looked almost like a zombie, barely breathing. Her brother was always less tanned than her but in the strange, eerie lighting coming from the city outside, he looked almost worryingly pale. Although, in the light, the whole room was basically in black, white and grey anyway. Shadows seemed to be creeping around the whole room, enveloping the furniture in darkness.

Bianca rubbed at her eyes, yawning slightly, but clambered out of bed nonetheless. If she got back into bed now, she'd never get up in time for school. And today was their first day. She yawned again, readjusting her nightdress slightly before stumbling to the bathroom.

When she came back out, Nico was awake, just about. His phone was in his hand, but the screen wasn't actually on. His eyes were closed, but Bianca could tell he was still awake.

" _Wake up, Nico_ ," she said quietly, crouching next to the bed. The mattress was still on the floor, even though neither had slept there since arriving in America. " _First day of school today, remember._ "

Nico just groaned, prompting Bianca to laugh fondly. She stroked his forehead gently, tucking back a small curl of raven-coloured hair. Nico swatted at her hand lazily and she just laughed again.

" _Come on, Nico. You don't want to be late, do you?_ "

" _I honestly don't give a shit. Let me sleep, Bi!_ "

Bianca snorted before tugging open the curtains. The sun was just starting to rise, causing long, billowing shadows to dance around the city. Nico groaned again when the light his his face and burrowed into his pillow.

" _Nico, get up!_ " she said, before slipping out of her pyjamas.

She couldn't remember the dress-code of the new school so played it safe with a black summery dress just above her knees and silvery grey jacket. Nico still wasn't up and Bianca thought he'd fallen back asleep until there was another, elongated groan and he flopped out of bed, dragging the duvet with him.

Bianca just brushed through her hair methodically while her younger brother dragged himself out the room and to the bathroom. He'd never been a morning person, but right now it was just plain funny.

Nico came back into the room, looking ever-so-slightly more awake, as she was just finishing off her plait, tying it tightly before pulling out several strands to make it look more natural. Nico had collapsed back onto the bed with another grunt, but the duvet was still on the floor so Bianca knew he wouldn't be there for long. There was no way he'd bother picking it up.

She left the bedroom after slipping on a pair of socks and her trainers to find Maria di Angelo in the kitchen, making breakfast. There was already a sliced baguette on the table as well as a cheese board and several cakes, croissants and pastries. Bianca could smell the omelettes and tomatoes her mum was frying on the stove.

When Nico finally emerged from the bedroom, in his usual black jeans and a leather jacket. His hair clearly hadn't been brushed and he still looked half asleep, but at least he was actually up.

" _Morning, Nico, darling_ ," said Maria with a smile. She looked tired. " _How are you both?_ "

Nico let out an unintelligible grunt which made both Bianca and their mother laugh. His eyes seemed to be drifting closed and he yawned as he sat down at the table. Maria brought over an omelette with tomatoes and fried potatoes for both of them before fetching a plate of neatly arranged cold meats.

" _I've done you a little feast ready for your first day at school_ ," said Maria as she sat down. " _It's exciting, yes?_ "

Bianca wasn't convinced. Both her and Nico had never been good at their last school, so neither knew as much English as was expected. And she doubted anyone here would be able to speak fluent Italian - English people rarely were fluent in more than one language she'd realised from studying the constant flow of tourists that visited their home town. Most people in Venice had spoken several languages so they were prepared for tourists from pretty much any major European country.

" _Not really_ ," mumbled Nico in answer to his question. " _Why couldn't we just stay in Italy?_ "

Bianca noted that he was clearly in a bad mood and to be wary around him until he'd eaten and cheered up a little.

" _You know why, bambini_."

Nico said nothing and neither did Bianca. An awkward sort of silence fell on the trio as they ate their breakfast. Nico kept swiping on his phone screen, but Bianca guessed that was probably just for something to do so he wouldn't have to cope with the awkwardness that hung in the air.

" _Any lessons you're looking forward to?_ " asked Maria, trying to make conversation.

With a glance at her brother, Bianca could tell he wasn't going to answer. He was still far too sleepy and clearly in a bad mood. " _Maybe art._ "

" _You're good at telling stories, Nico. Aren't you excited for that?_ "

Nico just shrugged. " _Telling, not writing_ ," he said. _Plus, they'd want me to do it in English._ "

Once they'd finished breakfast, Bianca helped clear up, while Nico collapsed on the sofa, staring at the blank screen of his phone. Bianca could tell he was nervous. She knew he'd never been as popular as her back home in Italy. He often struggled with talking to people and much preferred being at home watching a film or geeking out about his latest obsession. 

" _It's quarter to eight. You need to be at school soon,"_ said Maria after a couple of minutes. 

Bianca and Nico stood up from the sofa to get their school bags from their bedroom before hugging their mum goodbye. Neither wanted to brave the lift, so went down the stairs. They waited outside in the car park while Bianca set up the directions on her phone. It was only a five minute walk, but she was certain they'd get lost in such a huge and crowded city. 

The phone told them directions in Italian and, just as she'd predicted, they get lost almost immediately. It took them nearly five minutes to get back on track and find the right street - everything was just so different from Venice, it was unnerving. 

The building was huge, with hundreds of windows and hoards of teenagers swarming towards the one door. Even though no one was paying them any attention, Bianca could still feel her stomach tightening in knots and her hands becoming sweaty, clammy with anxiety. Nico would be looking to her for guidance, though. She had to be the responsible older sibling. 

" _Come on, we'll talk to reception... find out what we need to do and everything_."

Nico said nothing, which Bianca put down to the nerves. She worried about her brother. Sure, he was an extrovert, but that didn't mean he was confident in new social situations like this. 

When they got to the main entrance, following the other students, Bianca pulled Nico to the side so they were facing the lady at the receptionist desk. Students were still filing past, but they were just out of the way of the constant jostling. 

"Oh, hello," said the lady once she noticed the two of them. She had long, curly black hair, tied back partially, and a wide, friendly smile. Her dark eyes were glinting behind her dark red glasses and she had long, aqua-coloured acrylic nails that clicked on the keys as she typed. "How can I help you?" 

"Um... we are new pupils, miss. It is our first day and..." she struggled for words for a moment. "We... we do not know where to go or what to do." 

"No problem, honey. Can I ask your names?" The mouse clicked as she opened and closed pages on the computer. 

"Yes. Bianca and Nico di Angelo, miss."

"Thank you. I'm Miss Levesque, by the way. It's lovely to meet you both. What is that accent? It's beautiful." 

"Um... we are Italian, miss. Thank you. We moved here just a few days ago." 

Miss Levesque's nails clacked away as she typed. A minute later, she looked up again, still smiling. "I'm emailing your homeroom teachers to send some students down to collect you," she told them. 

The corridors and room around them were gradually thinning of their crowds. Students were making their way to their homerooms, leaving everywhere else empty. Miss Levesque took them through to a small room behind her office with two sofas, an armchair and coffee table in it. The walls were a grey-blue colour with photos of landscapes and beaches hanging in several places. There was a noticeboard there too, with many posters and adverts for clubs - a gay-straight alliance, cheer-leading, football and baseball. 

Once the receptionist had left, with another cheerful smile, Bianca and Nico perched on the left sofa, facing the noticeboard. She turned to her brother slightly and said slightly teasingly, " _If - if you want to go to the LGBT thing... I'll come with you. It might be fun. You might find yourself a boyfriend._ " 

As she'd predicted, Nico shook his head. " _I can't have anyone knowing. But... err - thanks._ " 

Nico was gay. And Bianca was the only person he'd told. Their mother (and the rest of their family) was very Catholic and the church back in Venice had been incredibly anti-LGBT. 

She remembered the day he told her, fear sparkling in his eyes. He'd been shaking, crying when she hugged him, soaking her T-shirt with his tears. She hadn't minded. His anxiety was understandable, but Bianca hated that her brother still felt so afraid. She was his sister, for God's sake! He should be able to talk to her about anything. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Nico's right leg was bobbing up and down with his nervousness and he was subconsciously twisting the silver ring on his left ring finger. Bianca had given it to him a couple of years ago. 

Miss Levesque came back in after a short while, her yellow and white floral dress flowing behind her, coming just below her knees. Her smile seemed a permanent fixture on her face. She beckoned for the two of them to follow her and she led them back through to her office and out into the entrance hall where there were three people waiting - two boys and a girl. 

The girl was average height with cropped, charcoal-black hair. She wore all black and reminded Bianca of a more feminine version of her brother. 

The boy on the left also had black hair that flopped in front of his face slightly. He held himself in a relaxed way, but had a resting bitch face and looked intimidating with his strong build, broad shoulders and dark sea-green eyes. Despite this, he couldn't stand still, drumming out a small beat on his thigh with the fingers of his right hand. 

It seemed that the other boy was basically the complete opposite. He was a lot more jittery and had a mop of curly gingery-brown hair as well as being in the stages of developing a light goatee. He was a lot more cheerful than the other two, but seemed close with them both. 

"This is Nico and Bianca di Angelo. They just moved here from Italy, but your homeroom teachers have probably explained. Bianca, honey, Thalia will be looking after you and, Nico, this Grover and Percy," said Miss Levesque. 

The black-haired girl grinned over at Bianca before holding out a hand. "Pleased to meet you, di Angelo. Follow me." 

" _I'll see you later_ ," mumbled Bianca to her brother before following Thalia down a corridor to the right, away from the others. 

"So, Italian, huh?" 

"Hmm? Oh, right, yes. I am Italian." 

Thalia looked at her a little oddly. "Cool accent. One of my friends is Puerto Rican." 

Bianca didn't know what that had to do with her being Italian, but also didn't know how to word the question, so said nothing. 

"Our homeroom teacher is Mr John Smith. We call him The Doctor. But, yeah, he's all right. Bit boring at times, but he's all right." 

"Why?" asked Bianca. 

"Why what?" 

"Why do you call him a doctor?" 

Thalia seemed lost for a second. "Um... it's a - it's a reference to this TV show. Time-travelling alien, saving the planet. Don't know if you have it in Italy." 

"It is not my sort of thing..." 

They arrived at a door at the far left of the corridor. Thalia didn't knock before walking in, holding it open for Bianca. 

At the front of the room was a tall man with shaggy brown hair. He wore a dark brown suit that hung a little around his thin, gangling form. He smiled over at the two girls as they entered. 

"Hello, you must be Bianca. Welcome. I've sat you next to Thalia and Zoe."

"I'm Percy, as you know. This is my best friend, Grover," said the black-haired boy before motioning to the ginger one, who grinned and waved. "That's my bro Jason over there." 

Percy pointed to a tall, muscular blond boy. He looked like the typical American straight white boy to Nico, and definitely not the sort of person he'd usually hang out with. Mind you, Percy didn't really fit that category either. 

"I'm Annabeth," said a blonde-haired girl on Percy's right. "And that, next to Jason, is my best friend, Piper. They have a crush on each other, but neither will make the first move." 

"Seems like two other people I know," mumbled Grover, causing both Percy and Annabeth to blush slightly and look away from each other. "So fucking oblivious." 

Percy cleared his throat. "Anyway, that big guy over there is Frank. He's super sweet, gets along with everyone, you know. And he has a crush on this girl in the year below, Hazel. She's Miss Levesque's daughter. The tiny Latino guy next to him is Leo. He's... well, he's..." 

"Bonkers?" suggested Annabeth. 

"Yeah, that. He's brilliant. Super smart, but very... what's the word?" 

Annabeth spoke again. "Flirtatious. Loud. In some ways arrogant. One might say annoying." 

"Yes, all of those, but he's brilliant too. And a bloody genius." 

Annabeth nodded in agreement. "God, yeah, he's smart. Even better at maths than me." After a slight pause, she turned to Nico. "So, Percy mentioned you have a sister?" 

Nico nodded, not meeting any of their eyes. "Her name is Bianca. She is - she is older than me." His accent was strong and he just prayed that they'd understand and he wouldn't have to repeat himself. 

"Thalia came to get her from the office. She seems nice," said Percy. "Thalia's Jason's sister, by the way." 

"She's going out with Reyna - "

"I thought Thalia had a thing with Phoebe," said Grover. 

Annabeth shook her head and shrugged a little as she spoke. "There are many girls in that class and I believe most of them are lesbians. It's hard to keep track of the relationships." 

"Don't worry," said Grover, speaking to Nico again. "You'll meet all these people at some point. It's a big group. There's a lot of us." 

And there sure were. At lunchtime, the canteen was full of students. They all seemed to know each other too. There was a huge group of girls in the back corner by a window, where Bianca was sat between two dark-haired girls. Nico thought he recognised one as Thalia from earlier, but he couldn't be sure from this distance. 

Everyone was so loud and obnoxious too, practically shouting at each other across the room. It gave Nico a headache. It appeared that everyone was talking to everyone else all at once. There were so many words flying around, left, right and centre, and Nico couldn't understand a single one. 

Out of reflex, his hands went to his ears. Everything was so loud. So deafeningly loud. And it wouldn't stop. 

Jason asked if he was okay, but Nico just nodded. He really couldn't be bothered with English at the moment. 

The bell went to signal the end of lunch and the room slowly quietened. The crowds dispersed and Percy and Annabeth led Nico to his next lesson, the others following. 

Soon enough, the day had ended. His new friends... no, classmates all walked off in a huge group after saying goodbye while Nico waited outside for his sister. Bianca showed up a minute or two later with some of the older girls from earlier. Nico only recognised Thalia. 

" _Oh, hi, Nico_ ," she said, already a lot more confident around the girls than she had been earlier. " _I've texted mum. I'm going to Thalia's. I'll see you later_." 

Nico just nodded before the girls turned away, giggling amongst themselves. The whole situation was horribly familiar. Just like back in Venice. Bianca was surrounded by friends and, like always, Nico was alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bianca and Nico get some bad news and everything gets 10 times more angsty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos. I know I say this a lot, but they genuinely do mean a lot <3

Bianca had been spending more and more time with her new friends, leaving Nico alone more often than not. By the second week of October, she'd already had three sleepovers and joined the girls' archery club. 

Nico, meanwhile, had been adopted by Percy's friendship group. He still felt isolated and like he didn't fit in, but at least he wasn't completely alone at school. Feeling alone and being alone were two different things and Nico had had experience with both. 

That Tuesday night, however, Bianca and Nico were both home. Maria was late coming back from work, but it was only by about an hour so they weren't particularly worried yet. Bianca had ordered pizza - her English had improved immensely over the last month and a bit - and they'd sat in front of the TV to eat. 

A couple of hours later, Nico checked the clock and turned to his sister with a frown. " _Mum should definitely be home by now, right?_ " 

Bianca nodded, furrowing her eyebrows thoughtfully. Their mum had never been this late before. " _I'll try ringing her_ ," she said, unplugging her phone from the socket. A minute later, her frown deepened. " _No answer._ " 

It was just fifteen minutes later when there was a loud, official-sounding knock on the door. Bianca answered it and Nico watched as her expression went flickered between shocked, nervous and scared. 

"Miss Bianca di Angelo?" said a voice. They had an American accent and it sounded like a male voice. 

His sister nodded and held the door open wider. Two police officers came through the door. One had blonde hair in a ponytail and glasses, the other was taller with short, curly black hair and a kind smile. 

"Would you - erm - would you like to sit down, sir, ma'am?" said Bianca. Her voice was slightly shaky with her obvious anxiety. 

"Thank you," said the lady, smiling, taking a seat on the sofa. The man sat next to her and Bianca went back to her place next to her brother. "You must be Nico di Angelo?" 

Nico nodded nervously, his eyes darting between the two police officers and the floor. Nothing like this had ever happened before. 

"I'm Officer Johnson and this is Officer Foster. Unfortunately, we have some bad news for the two of you," said the woman gently. 

The man, Officer Foster, continued, "Your mother, Maria di Angelo, has been involved in a car accident. And... she didn't make it. We're sorry." 

There was silence as the two siblings processed what he'd just said. Tears were glistening in Nico's eyes and Bianca was staring into space. He glanced over at her but she wouldn't look at him. When he looked over at the officers, both gave him a sympathetic smile, which he instantly hated. How dare they smile at him like that? Had they just lost one of the most important people in their lives? They had no right to smile when his whole life had just fallen apart. He knew it obviously wasn't there fault, but somewhere in the crevices of his brain, he blamed them. They'd come swanning in, told him his world was ending and all they could do was smile! 

"We're sorry, but, as you're sixteen, Bianca, you won't be a priority in the care system yet. Your father's paid for your flat and he is now your legal guardian," said Officer Johnson. 

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call us or the social services and we're sorry again," said Foster, starting to stand up. 

Bianca said nothing as she stood up again to let them out, closing the door almost silently behind them before picking up their plates and pizza boxes to throw away. Not a word was exchanged between the two as Nico turned off the TV and Bianca cleaned up the kitchen. He retreated into the bedroom, pushing the bed up to the door and sitting on top. 

He knew it was cruel, shutting his sister out of her own bedroom, but he desperately needed the time alone and she'd try and comfort him whether he wanted it or not. He brought his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them, pressing down on his eyes until he was seeing stars. 

Everything hurt, yet at the same time he was numb to the world. Nothing could hurt him, but all he felt was pain. An overwhelming amount of pain. The knees of his jeans were soaking wet with tears but he didn't care. Nico wasn't sure he'd ever care about anything again. 

There was a knocking at the door. He said nothing and when Bianca realised she couldn't get in, she must've given up. It felt mean, but at that moment, he couldn't care less. 

Nico must have fallen asleep there, in his clothes, as he awoke the next morning above the covers and with the bed still pushed up against the door. Everything seemed so normal: the sun coming through the window, the traffic whizzing by outside, the chatter of the people. 

Bianca was calling to him from outside. " _Nico! We have to go to school. I - I've made you breakfast._ " 

His head was pounding, his face stiff and eyes still crusty from the tears of last night, but Nico forced himself out of bed. He couldn't be bothered to shower or change and only pushed the bed just enough to be able to get out. 

As promised, Bianca had left a slice of toast and mug of coffee on the kitchen side for him. It was cold, but complete numbness was good for some things, at least. 

" _I - erm - I stayed on the sofa last night. I couldn't bring myself to..._ " 

Bianca didn't finish her sentence. She just gasped and ran into the bathroom. A gut-wrenching sob echoed through the flat followed by a retching noise then the flush of the toilet. His sister appeared a couple of minutes later with slightly red eyes, but no other evidence that she'd been crying. 

She said nothing, just extended her arms and wrapped her brother in a tight hug. Nico's head rested on her shoulder as the two cried, refusing to let go of each other. 

They were late to school that morning. But nobody said anything. Nico walked into his first period class and sat by himself at the empty table behind Percy and Grover. He put his bag and books on the other chair and stared out the window for the rest of the class, ignoring everything and everyone around him. The boys gave up trying to talk to him after just two attempts. 

By lunchtime, they'd just about gathered he was refusing to talk and no one said anything when he sat down at their lunch table and took out a pair of earphones to block out the world. Nico folded his arms in front of him and rested his head on top, desperately trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill all over again. 

There was a light tapping on his right shoulder just over halfway through lunch. He took out one ear of his headphones and looked up. It was Thalia. 

"What's up with your sister, Nico? She won't talk to us." 

He stared at her for a minute before diverting his eyes to the table. Nico swallowed, trying to ready himself to reply, but he couldn't do it, so said nothing. He just returned the earbud to his ear, picked up his bag and left. 

Nico didn't turn up to his next lesson, or the one after and as soon as the bell rang for the end of the day, he took his stuff and walked. Just walked. He didn't know where he was going. He just followed the road.

" _Where were you?_ " said Bianca when Nico walked in almost two hours later. She didn't even look worried. 

He just shrugged. " _Where did you think I was?_ " 

" _Bedroom._ " 

That was basically the extent of their conversations that night. Neither could be bothered trying to cook so they ordered pizza again, though neither ate much. 

Bianca fell asleep on the sofa that night, so Nico cleared up as best he could before going through to his bedroom. He actually changed into pyjamas that night - well, an oversized shirt - before getting into bed and falling asleep almost instantly. 

He woke up again a few hours later to a room full of darkness, the shadows engulfing him and everything around him. Nico felt a childish urge to shout for his mother before the realisation hit him that that would never be possible again. A fist clenched tightly around his heart as he fought back tears. 

Nico got no more sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry!! ... Okay, I'm not sorry, but still.. 
> 
> By the way, I have no idea if any of the legal bollocks is correct or not, but it's my fanfic so it's what happened, whether or not it's correct is another matter, but one I can't be asked to work out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods, I'm so sorry this took so long to update. I had this chapter ready for weeks but I just completely forgot to post it. I'm sorry <3

Something was up with Bianca and Nico. Everyone had noticed. Percy, Annabeth and Grover said that Nico talked even less during lessons and always had his earphones in at breaktimes and lunches. He still sat with them, but barely looked up from the table. They hadn't seen him eat anything for days, maybe weeks. 

Thalia and the other girls had watched something very similar happening to Bianca. She talked less and tended to just stare into space or watch her brother with worry etched on her features. When she wasn't with them, she could be found at the archery range, practising for hours on end, just shooting repetitively at the colourful targets. Their coach had picked up on her drastic improvement and asked Thalia and Zoe - the co-captains of the team - to make sure their friend was all right. 

However, Bianca was making it increasingly difficult to check up on. She refused to talk about it, diverting the conversation topic to school or archery, whenever anyone tried. She acted as normal as possible around her friends, but Thalia could see the fake smiles. She resognised the slightly too cheerful laughter and pained look that was now a constant occurrence in her friend's eyes. 

It was almost two weeks after things had changed. Thalia was sure she hadn't seen Bianca eat or drink anything in that time and according to Jason and Percy, the exact same thing was happening with Nico. Bianca had started lashing out at the others, telling them to shut up or fuck off whenever they tried to bring it up. Dark bags had formed under both her and Nico's eyes, like they hadn't slept in days, maybe weeks. 

"We need to do something," said Percy, in agreement with Thalia. 

Annabeth sighed thoughtfully. "We can't force them to talk. That wouldn't be fair. They clearly don't want us to know." 

"I know, I know. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think, Wise Girl," said Percy. "I just want to cheer them up a bit, you know. Have a drink and a dance, just have fun." 

"Oh, yeah, because that definitely seems like Nico's kind of thing," said Grover and the others just laughed. "I've barely heard him talk; imagine what he'd be like at a party." 

Thalia was smiling, but said in a mockingly chiding tone, "Don't be so mean, Goat Boy. You were weird the first time I met you too." 

"I was eight!" 

"You were still weird." 

Grover rolled his eyes as Thalia gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. 

"Look, we obviously can't force them into anything, but I do agree they need cheering up. Thalia, talk to the girls and see if they want to join. I'm pretty sure Jason and the others will. Ask Bianca and Percy will ask Nico. If they don't want to join us, then that's cool and we aren't going to force them, okay?" 

"Fine," said Percy. His eyes were locked on Annabeth and a faint blush was appearing on his cheeks as he looked her over. It would have been sweet if it wasn't so pathetic. 

"Oi, lover boy, let's get going," said Grover, taking his best friend's arm and dragging him back down the corridor. 

"Lover boy?" said Annabeth with a frown. 

Thalia smiled knowingly. "He was looking at you. I reckon he's crushing pretty hard." 

"Don't be stupid." 

Thalia just raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I'll see you later, alright, kid." 

"I'm only a year younger than you, Grace!" 

With a laugh and a wave, Thalia left down the corridor in the opposite direction as the two boys. She had biology next, where she sat next to Bianca - maybe she'd finally get an opportunity to talk to the other girl? Unlikely. 

When Thalia arrived, the bell had just gone and the teacher hadn't arrived yet. She entered, sliding into the seat next to Bianca and looking at her until she made eye contact. Thalia raised an eyebrow, "Are you all right?" 

"Of course. Why would I not be?" said Bianca curtly. 

"I don't know," Thalia said a little defensively. "You've seemed very - very... quiet? That's not the right word. You've been really reserved lately. That's not you. I know we've not known you long, but we can clearly tell that something's up, Bi." 

"I'm fine." 

"Gods, stop lying to us. I get if you don't want to talk about it, but we are here for you. We're your friends now." 

Bianca said nothing and a minute later, the teacher had arrived to begin the lesson. Thalia hoped Percy, Grover and Annabeth were having better luck with Nico, but, well, knowing Nico, they weren't.

###### 

"Nico, we can tell that something's wrong," said Jason. "We're your friends. You can talk to us if you need to." 

He had his earphones in, but he must have heard as he looked up. Nico said nothing directly to them, but they all heard his muttered, "I do not have friends." 

"Has - has something happened?" asked Percy, clearly trying to be tactful. "Jas is right, you can talk to us." 

"I'm fine." 

"Don't push him," mouthed Annabeth with a glare. 

Percy nodded apologetically and turned back to his work, not that he was actually doing anything. 

It was several minutes later when Jason dared to try again. Percy shot him a warning glance but he ignored it. "Nico," he said tentatively. "Something's obviously bothering you and your sister... If - you can tell us. We're not going to judge you or anything, whatever it is." 

"I'm fine," Nico snarled quietly, not looking up from the blank page in front of him. They'd been in class for nearly twenty minutes, but he hadn't written anything. 

"You're not. You've barely spoken to us and we haven't seen you eat anything. We know you're not okay but - " 

"You wouldn't be okay if your mum had died days ago either." 

No one knew what to say, which was the effect Nico had clearly been hoping for, and it was Annabeth who finally spoke, a pitying expression on her face. 

"I'm really sorry Nico. I'm sorry if you felt pressured to tell us, we honestly just wanted to know if you were okay." 

The boy in question said nothing and Percy couldn't blame him. He couldn't imagine losing someone so close to him like that. Him and Sally had always got along incredibly, especially after everything with Gabe several years ago. They'd become protective of each other, and that sort of bond doesn't go away easily.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear in mind please that I am not American, I am very British, so am solely basing this on stereotypes I've seen in films and read in books. If any of it is.. offensive?... I'm sorry. 
> 
> Also, sorry for the slow updates, but things aren't going well in Britain regarding this whole corona thing... I still don't know if I have exams or not and it's all very complicated and confusing so sorry about that. 
> 
> Btw, anything in italics, in texting and speech, is in Italian.

Two Saturdays later, the group went out together for the evening. The plan was just a typical high school weekend. One of the seniors had invited Thalia along to his house for the night and she'd asked their whole group to join them, mostly hoping that it'd give them a chance to help cheer Bianca and Nico up after everything. Obviously, they knew one party wouldn't solve everything, but having some fun with friends would at least help. 

After a lot of persuasion, Bianca had finally agreed to go along. Nico knew she needed the laugh, but he couldn't help feeling almost abandoned. Yeah, he'd been invited too, but parties were definitely not his thing. They'd probably only asked him out of obligation anyway. 

Nico walked home alone that night. Well, he called it home but it had never felt like it. Home was eating gelato after school with his mother and sister while the church bells chimed in the background. Home was going places in a boat on the canals of Venice, watching the tourists in the Gondolas, telling them the wrong directions and laughing as they get lost. Home was helping Signora Rossi in the second-hand bookshop and taking their neighbour oranges from their tree in the garden. 

When he arrived back at the flat, there was silence. It wasn't the good, relaxing silence, like when you're home alone and are finally allowed to listen to music out loud of watch whatever you want on TV, but more of an eerie, uncomfortable silence like in a horror film, just before the jump scare. Nico felt like a burglar in his own home. 

If his mama was there, just her smile would have been enough to light up the whole flat. She'd have been cooking, listening to the radio and singing along as she danced around the kitchen, preparing all kinds of food for them. She'd have asked about their day at school, if they'd made any friends. His mama wouldn't have ignored him like Bianca had. She wouldn't have pissed off somewhere with her friends and not even said goodbye or what time she'd be home. 

Nico didn't feel like cooking, but he also didn't like the idea of having a pizza takeaway again. They weren't even proper pizzas in his eyes. He wasn't confident enough in his English to try and order over the phone anyway, so he didn't have much choice. 

After a quick rummage in the cupboards, he found a packet of pasta that would be easy enough to cook. It should only take about twenty minutes and wouldn't need to much work. Even so, it was still much more work than he wanted to do. 

As the pasta cooked on the stove, Nico perched on the sideboard, staring at his phone, which wasn't even charged. No one ever messaged him anyway, so it didn't matter too much. 

By the end of the night, Nico couldn't tell if the evening had gone quickly or incredibly slowly. It seemed like one minute he'd been on the sofa eating, and a minute later he was in the bathroom, showering and getting ready for bed. But once he was in the bedroom, the minutes went by like hours. Nico spent half that time, just staring at the clock. 

It was nearly eleven at night yet Bianca still wasn't home. He'd plugged in his phone in case she tried to get in contact, but he had still heard nothing. Each second of silence felt like an hour. 

By, half past eleven, he could feel his eyes drooping, tired just from the sheer anxiety of waiting for his sister to return. She'd never been this late home before and he was inevitably starting to worry. This was all far too familiar. 

He must have fallen asleep at around the quarter past one mark as nearly two hours later, he was woken up by a loud, hurried knocking at the door to the flat. Nico scrambled out of bed to answer it, praying to any gods he could think of that it wasn't the police, that there wouldn't be a repeat of what had happened just weeks ago. Maybe Bianca had just forgotten her key? It was a longshot but he would hope for anything at this point. 

When he opened the door, he saw the three people he'd been least expecting to see: Percy, Thalia and Annabeth. Where was his sister? And why wasn't she with them? Nico's eyes scanned over the three, taking in their facial expressions and stances as they looked sheepishly back at him. 

Percy was clearly trying to look relaxed, but failing badly. He was fidgeting excessively with his hands, tugging at the hem of his T-shirt and refusing to meet anyone else's eyes, especially Nico's. His hair looked a mess and he was clearly at least slightly drunk, possibly high too. 

Thalia looked just as uncomfortable, her usually spiked hair drooping a little. She was at least as high and drunk as Percy, if not more. Despite this, both seemed alert, almost too alert. It was unnerving. Thalia was stood slightly behind the other two, and it was the first time Nico had seen her looking anxious. 

Annabeth's expression was worst of all. She didn't appear drunk or high at all, only sad. She looked at him with her silvery grey eyes full of pity. 

He glared at the three of them. How dare they turn up here without Bianca and not even told him what had happened yet? They just kept looking. Thalia with her awkward anxiety, Percy's poorly-hidden nerves, and Annabeth with her pity, her unbearable, almost patronising sympathy. 

"Where is Bianca?" he asked tentatively, daring them to tell him bad news. 

The three exchanged a glance. It was a look full of sudden fear, their eyes glinting, begging one of the others to speak first. In the end, it was Percy who stepped forward. 

"Um... Nico, we're sorry..." 

His heart plummeted, tears already filling his eyes, clenching his fists at his side with anger. Why did this always happen to him? He found himself unable to speak, only listening helplessly as Percy continued. 

"We can't find her," he said. "We've looked... but we don't know where she went and no one's seen her for hours." 

Nico didn't say anything. He didn't know what he could say, what he was meant to or expected to say. He felt his world crashing down around him. Everything was going wrong. First his mother and now Bianca. Why did everybody leave him? 

"We're really sorry, Nico," said Annabeth gently. 

Her unwavering kindness was just too much for him to bear. Thalia hadn't said a word and Percy still looked like he was expecting someone to hit him, but Nico didn't care. He wasn't going to stick around and listen to their sorry excuses. Bianca had been out with them, so it was their responsibility to make sure she was okay. 

With a final glare, desperately trying not to cry in front of them, Nico slammed the door. As soon as he had, he slid onto the floor, bursting into tears. The only person left in the world who actually cared about him had gone. In just a few short weeks, everything he'd ever loved or cared for had vanished: his home in Italy, his mother and now his sister. 

The tears streamed down his face like a waterfall, dripping onto his shirt and wetting the black fabric. He could feel his nose clogging up and his breathing quickening, but he couldn't care less. What was the point in caring anyway? It only meant you got hurt. 

Nico found himself trying to hate the three messengers, especially Percy Jackson. He desperately wanted to shift all the blame onto him, wanting to loathe him with every part of his being, but he just couldn't. Percy had always been kind to him, and Nico felt a tug in his heart whenever he thought about the boy... he'd have to unpack that later. 

For now, lying on the floor, in the foetus position and sobbing wasn't doing anything. He'd never get Bianca back like this. And he'd once read that the first twenty-four hours were the most crucial when someone had go missing. 

Rubbing at his eyes with the sleeves of his jacket did nothing to rid his eyes of the tears, but it was better than nothing. He took his phone, jumping between his only two contacts: his mother and Bianca. He hadn't got round to deleting the former and he doubted he ever would now. 

Nico clicked on his sister's name, wincing as he read over the last few messages they'd sent each other. He'd spammed her phone last night, asking several times what time she would be home. He never received an answer, and now he probably never would. Tears prickled in his eyes as he started typing out a message. 

**Oggi 3:51am**

**_Bi, please... where are you? Percy and the others told me they could not find you._**

**_Please_ **

**_I miss you, Bi._**

He must have stared at his phone for hours, waiting hopelessly for a reply he knew would never come.

Eventually, Nico stood up, stretching out his cramped and stiff muscles before heading to the bathroom to clean his teeth and freshen up. It had been a long night and would probably be an even longer day. How could he possibly go to school after everything that happened? He'd have to face Percy and the others. Have to face Bianca's empty seat at lunchtime. 

But if he stayed in the flat, he'd have to face the empty bedroom and kitchen. The obvious remnants scattered all throughout the place. Her absent stuck out like a sore thumb wherever he went. There was no escape. 

At around quarter to ten that morning, he received a text. The alert made his heat skip a beat, but his body flooded with disappointment when he saw it was an unknown number. Probably just a wrong number or something. Who would want to message him anyway? 

He frowned at the message on the screen. It was Percy: the last person he'd ever want to see or hear from. Yet still, he hated how just reading the boy's name created a little twinge of butterflies in his gut. 

**9:46am**

**hey nico, its me, percy :D um, thalia gave me ur number... she probably got it off ur sister, but are u ok? ur not at school.. obviously.. an we just wanted to check in**

Another message appeared while Nico was reading over the first: 

**sorry, now i think about it the :D probably wasnt super appropriate.. we hope ur ok tho, and we're here for u mate**

Nico read over the messages a couple of times, his heart aching slightly at that word 'mate'. He hated how much being called Percy's friend hurt. He knew the other boy was only saying all of it out of obligation too, which stung even more. 

With a glare of annoyance at his phone screen, he clicked the 'block' button, not wanting to deal with anymore spam from any of them. How dare Bianca give away his number like that? 

Nico curled up in his bed, bringing the duvet up past his head and burrowing under, almost like a depressed hamster. He put his phone on charge again, but turned the volume up, just in case. Nico wasn't going to give up hope just yet. 

When he woke up, several hours later, the sun had moved, darkening his room and creating long shadows that danced about the room like ghosts. His phone was fully charged but still had no notifications. Percy clearly hadn't given his number to anyone else then. 

He sighed before yawning then reaching for his phone, opening up Bianca's contact again. Knowing it was futile before the thought had even come to his mind didn't stop Nico from clicking on the little 'audio' button to call his sister's phone. It rang several times before going to voicemail as expected. 

Bursting with sudden frustration, Nico threw the phone across the room, not caring as it slammed into the wall with a deafening crash, before landing on the floor with a pathetic thump. He could feel the tears building up in his eyes again, threatening to spill over with a sob. 

Everything only just seemed to be sinking in, as he got a sudden jolt to his heart as he realised: Bianca was gone. He might never see her again and there was nothing he could do about it. She was gone. 

He found himself closing his eyes and desperately trying to conjure her face up in his brain, remembering her voice, her Italian accent as she spoke. He remembered her laugh and roll of the eyes when he and his mother teased her about her first boyfriend and joked about her crush on the boy over the road - he had been hot, if Nico remembered correctly. 

When he retrieved his phone, about ten minutes later, he sat on the side of his bed and sighed. If he wanted to find Bianca, he had to be more logical about this. Calling her would do nothing if she'd got rid of her phone. 

First he searched up local news, scrolling to see if any dead bodies had been found. He came across one that was scarily familiar, but then saw she'd been identified by someone else. He could always file Bianca as a missing person, but then the police would want to speak to him and they'd either get his father involved or put him into the foster care system. Neither of those were desirable options. 

Nico wasn't stupid. He knew the chances of finding his sister weren't very high, but it was worth a shot. At least her dead body hadn't been found - that gave him a flicker of hope. 

That flicker died several hours later when his phone switched off and he'd still found nothing. It was still only two in the afternoon so Nico changed his clothes, shoving the others in the washing machine, before heading outside, almost forgetting to take a key with him. 

Bianca had told him roughly where the party was last night so he headed there first. He had one advantage over the others: he knew Bianca. She was his sister. They'd explored places together their whole lives so he knew how she thought. 

He found an alleyway leading to an old carpark about one hundred metres away, but there was no trace that anyone had ever been there apart from a lot of cigarette butts and empty glass bottles that probably contained some form of alcohol. 

Even so, Nico searched the area, his heart sinking down past his gut when he came up empty. Nothing. There weren't many other places to look, but he did. He searched for hours until it finally started getting dark, the sun casting an orangey-pink glow over the city. 

Small crowds of twenty-year-olds were starting to gather, creating anxious butterflies in Nico's stomach as he made his way back to the flat. He walked past one group and whatever they were smoking, it wasn't tobacco. 

Obviously, there'd been drugs in Venice too, but never this much. It seemed every corner he turned there was a group of teenagers, probably older, smoking or drinking something. 

Nico hurried back to the flat as quick as he could, only to be greeted by the stink of weed on the corridor below his. He got inside and instantly collapsed onto his bed. There was no energy left in him to make any food, nor get up and order anything. He'd probably just embarrass himself with his shitty English anyway. He'd never been as good as Bianca had. 

Just thinking of her brought another tormented sob bursting from his lungs. Tears pooled in his eyes again and he cursed himself for being so weak and emotional. Crying never solved anything, that's what his mama had always said. It's okay to cry but it doesn't fix anything. Nico had very quickly learned over the past few days that the world didn't care about your feelings. The universe didn't care. And why should it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is quite a text heavy chapter, but it is quite an important one considering everything. It should get a little more interesting from now on, when Will joins the scene etc.


End file.
